Arlene Gehmacher on Early Canadian Women Artist at Riverdale Historical Society

Brushing It In The Rough: Early Canadian Women Artist

Speaker: Dr Arlene Gehmacher

“Brushing it in the Rough” showcases the art of three nineteenth-century women and their responses to their Canadian experiences: Anna Jameson, a traveler, Susanna Moodie, a settler, and Alice Killaly, a native-born resident. Each woman produced art within society’s parameters and their stories reveal the circumstances behind the use of their talents for financial gain.

Painter: Alicia Killaly, ROM image

Art historian, Dr Arlene Gehmacher, curator of Canadian Paintings, Print and Drawings in the ROM’s World Cultures Department explains that the title is a play on “Roughing it in the Bush,” the title of Susanna Moodie’s disparaging account of her early years in Upper Canada. Their artwork will be seen in full colour in a power point presentation.